“New Sheriff in Washington” Ruins the Collective West

Over the past week, several significant events have occurred in connection with the beginning of the implementation of Mr. Trump's promise to "stop the war in Ukraine in 24 hours." It was clear from the very beginning that "in 24 hours" would not work: if you have been entering the problem for several years, then it will take years (well, at least a year) to get out, simply because during this time many connections have been established and they cannot be quickly broken. However, it’s needed to start somehow, so Mr. Trump began to act.

I would like to focus on a few events, namely Mr. Trump's call to Mr. Putin on February 12, the NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels on February, 13 and the Munich Security Conference on February 14-16.
In my opinion, the concept of "collective West" no longer exists.

The US under Trump's leadership has dramatically changed its domestic and foreign policies.

Mr. Trump seeks to solve any issue with a quick cavalry charge, but first he creates a crises for his competitors (Mr. Trump's competitors are everyone, including allies). This is how he operates in the domestic and foreign policy of the US.

Many US presidents have complained about the slowness of the American state apparatus, but now the "Deep State" simply cannot get in time to challenge Trump's innovations, and chaos is arising at the federal level of US government. Thousands of civil servants are resigning or being illegally fired. Even some Republicans believe that Mr. Trump is violating the Constitution and other US laws, but he is not embarrassed.
So far, the American “Deep State” is clearly losing the war to the aggressive new president.

Much the same is happening in US foreign policy.
Mr Trump shocks allies with his harsh statements, imperial ambitions, hostile tariffs and boorish attitude. Now he is practically destroying NATO and the EU, making Mr Putin's dream come true. Poor Ukraine.

Mr. Trump at the head of the USA is an excellent instrument of Disintegration. With his drastic actions, he provokes other countries to show their independence and common sense (or, conversely, their inability and incompetence).

Mr. Putin's "another world" is beating the"real world" with the help of Mr. Trump.

On February 12, 2025 Europeans were unpleasantly surprised by the news of an unexpected 90-minute telephone conversation between Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin. Immediately after this, Mr. Trump called to Mr. Zelensky, though.
First, European leaders, along with the US, helped Ukraine in its just war against Putin's Russia and reasonably assumed their obligatory participation in negotiations with the Russians, but Mr. Trump did not consult with anyone and presented everyone with a fait accompli with this call.
Secondly, with this conversation, Mr. Trump single-handedly stripped Mr. Putin of his status as a political pariah and brought him back into global politics. Now Mr. Putin and Russia have a long-awaited festivity. They succeeded.

And on February 13, Mr. Trump repeated Mr. Putin’s thesis that Ukraine’s NATO ambitions caused the Russia-Ukraine war and even suggested to restore Russia's membership in the G7. This is a betrayal not only of Ukraine, but also of European allies of the US, but Mr. Trump himself, of course, does not think so and keeps honestly looking all of humanity in the eye. Now he sees the truth just like this.

In 2014, after the annexation of Crimea, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told then-US President Obama by telephone that after speaking with Mr. Putin she was not sure he was in touch with reality. “In another world,” she described her communication.

The collective West has always said that Mr. Putin was, to put it mildly, wrong to start this war, and Mr. Putin, in turn, long tried to prove the opposite. It turns out that he has now succeeded: the president of the flagship of the “collective West” – the United States of America – is repeating his lies about the cause of the Russian-Ukrainian war, effectively going over to his side and inviting a war criminal back into global politics. This means that Mr. Putin was right: he and Mr. Trump live in the real world, and all the rest are “in another world.”

Three years of concerted efforts to force an aggressive Russia to obey the rules were crossed out by few tricks of the new occupant of the White House. All US allies must have felt fools. And indeed, they soon received the next confirmation of living in “another world” from another member of the new American administration.


New US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels on February, 13.
He announced that he came “to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.” He explained that by “The United States faces consequential threats to our homeland. We must — and we are — focusing on security of our own borders.”
He insisted that NATO will not be involved in any future force that might be required to police the peace in Ukraine. European and other nations will, but the Europeans will have to pay for it. No American troops would take part in such an operation. And Mr. Hegseth warned that NATO will not come to the rescue any European nation involved in that force if it is attacked by Russia.

French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu said after that press-conference that NATO faces “a real moment of truth.” Yes, it does. I think, that NATO entered the final phase of its existence from that moment on.


Then the new US Vice-President JD Vance spoke at the Munich Security Conference on February, 14.
Instead of giving a speech about security (in particular, the war in Ukraine), Mr. Vance informed that «… In Washington, there is a new sheriff in town» and then he scolded European leaders for suppressing free speech, censorship, the decline of democracy, failing to halt illegal migration and running in fear from voters’ true beliefs.
Arguing that the true threat to Europe stemmed not from external actors such as Russia or China, but Europe’s own internal retreat from some of its “most fundamental values”, he repeatedly questioned whether the US and Europe any longer had a shared agenda. “What I worry about is the threat from within,” Mr. Vance said.
There is the impression that Mr. Vance is America's leading Democrat, the US is a model democracy which has no problem with illegal immigration.

After the speech Mr. Vance privately met the far-right AfD party leader Alice Weidel, but declined to meet the SPD party leader and current chancellor of Germany.

The German Defence Minister, Boris Pistorius, said he could not let the speech go without comment.
“If I understood him correctly, he is comparing conditions in parts of Europe with those in authoritarian regimes… That is unacceptable, and it is not the Europe and not the democracy in which I live and am currently campaigning,” he said.

Moment of truth for Ukraine, EU and NATO.

Thus, Ukraine, EU and NATO are now “between hammer and anvil,” when their opinion is of no interest for their enemy, Mr. Putin, and for their “friend” Mr. Trump. This is a tough experience, which is nevertheless very useful:
1. It removes all illusions. A friend in need is a friend indeed and it is very important to know who you can rely on and who you can't.
2. This leaves Ukraine, EU and NATO with only one of two options: to bend under pressure from both superpowers and surrender/fall apart, or to stand up for themselves and try to become political subjects rather than objects of foreign policy.

I think that, unfortunately, the surrender and collapse will happen because Ukraine, EU and NATO have not prepared themselves to be real political subjects. EU and NATO have lived too long in careless illusion of their security, they are divided internally and cannot develop holistic position even on simpler issues. Ukraine has always been deeply divided along the line between elite and people, and now it is also greatly weakened by a 3-year war.

Mr. Trump has already started to yank everyone (including the Americans) and try to make them dance to his tune. If the Americans and other countries/blocs start to comply, it will only get worse for them. They should not be afraid to refuse Mr. Trump’s excessive demands and politely, but firmly defend their point of view. However, each nation/bloc must first develop its own unified point of view and follow it, even at the risk of incurring the wrath of the "new sheriff in Washington".


P.S. We didn't have to wait long. Today wayward Mr. Trump has already got angry at Ukraine and called Mr. Zelensky a "dictator."
Ukrainian president accused Mr. Trump of living in a Russian “disinformation bubble.” That's right. It can't get any worse.